On the Monday after Thanksgiving I was driving back to Richmond in an effort to be on time for my 10 AM class (I have since given up on 10 AM classes). In Hanover, Virginia I was pulled over for speeding at about a quarter after nine. I'll admit, I was not nice to this officer, and when I couldn't make myself cry I resorted to being bitter. Pathetic, I know. He ended up giving me a ticket and I ended up telling him what a horrible person he was/is.
In January I went to court to try and get out the ticket, or at least get it reduced in some way. I was very polite and smiled a lot and the judge admitted that he shouldn't, but allowed me to go to a driving clinic rather than get more points on my driving record. Apparently you're not supposed to be allowed to go twice with in a year, especially when you've gotten four tickets in two years.
If you've ever been to a driver's clinic before you know how awful they are. I mean, really awful. The first time I went was in Alexandria to some place my friend Sam had been to. It was a room about the size of my dorm filled with about twenty people and a TV. It was hot and the instructor was a very irate Pakistani guy. We sat and watched videos and did busy-work for eight hours.
This time around I thought I'd check the DMV website. I looked for the one closest to me, called, made an appointment (or thought I did) and didn't think too much of it. There were several locations listed and when I had talked to the guy about it he didn't specify a location. This was a huge mistake, I assumed, wrongly (as I usually do) that because the location was listed on the DMV website, that it met weekly. I showed up on Saturday, almost on time, and would have been on time had it not been for the marathon trapping me in the Fan. I asked the concierge about the class and she had no idea what I was talking about. After that I borrowed the computer in the lobby and called all the loctions listed until I found the one that was hosting the class that week. It was too late at that point to attend, so I called the company's number and left a lengthy message about them needing to be more specific as to their hours, locations, etc.
I have never responded to messages like the one that I left. I usually assumed that the patient was angry and would call back or come in at some point, and I was usually right. I never called and left an equally "obnoxious" voicemail. Obnoxious was the word that the driving-school-dude used. The fact that he responded to my message at all makes me hate his southern drawl all the more.
After hanging out in the hotel lobby and calling every driving school listed on the DMV website, I finally found one that offered classes on weekdays. I have to have my class finished and reported to the DMV by Friday. I made a reservation, and went today. The class was supposed to two days, four hours each day. I got there at five-thirty and was out by nine AND I don't have to go back tomorrow!
There was next to no instruction and the only other person in the class was this high school chick. We spent the majority of the time discussing how much police officer's in the area suck, and the best ways to get out of tickets. He called that part "Knowing Your Rights" - slick. I got an eight hour course done in three and a half hours. I may have missed Gossip Girl, but I don't have to go back tomorrow and it was so worth it.
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